Toy vehicle



Dec. 16, 1924. 1,519,208

B. M. LUPTON, JR

TOY VEHICLE Filed Sept. 28, 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet l Dec 16, 1924.

B. M. LUPTON, JR

TOY VEHICLE Filed Sept. 28, 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Dec. 16, 1924.

uN-lf'rsnf STATES BENJAMIN M. LUPTON, JR., OF JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY.

Application led September 28, 1921.

To @Uw/wm #may concern.'

Be it known that 1,. BENJAMIN M. Lur- 'roN, Jr., a citizen ofthe United' States, and resident ofi Jersey City, inthe county of Hudson and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Toy Vehicles, ofI which the following is a specification.

This invention relatesmore especially to toy. vehicles designed to be ridden by children; and. it has for its object to provide a vehicle having a rockable load-bearing element' and means connected with and operable by said element in such a manner as to engage the surface of. travel with a turning effort and thus impart motion to the Vehicle;` the construction being suchv that the vehicle canbe readily drawn or pushed along independently of the saidv actuating -f mechanism; alln as will. be hereinafter fully described and claimed.

In the drawings- Figures 1 and' 2' are side elevations of a toy vehicle embodying' the principle of my invention., showing thev act-uating mechanism in different' positions ofdoperation.

Fig. 3 isa plan ofthe vehicle, part of the wheeled supporting'frame'being brokenaway. y

Fig. 4 is a rear end elevation ofthe vehicle.

Figs. 5 and 6 are side elevations of a modification of'y the vehicle in different positions of operation.

Figs. 7, 8 and 9" are side elevations ofv another modili'cation of the vehicle in different positions of operation.

Fig. 10 is a plan of the construction shown in Fig.' 7, the seat' or saddle'being omitted.

Referring tothe drawings, .l0 designates a supportingframe comprising, preferably, an inclinedbody'supported at' its lower or rearward endv upon an axlev 11 which is equipped with al pair ofA spaced carrying wheels 12. The forward endof'the framey is formed'witha suitable bearing lfor a steering post" 13 which is provided at its forked lower endwith a wheel 14 and at its upper endwith asuitable handle bar 15. The forward end of `the frame is also provided with-laterally projecting foot rests 1G.

livotally supported on the axle 11 is a load-bearing rocker elementv comprising, preferably, two spaced members 17 and a top member 18, the latter being, in the pres,-

TOY VEHICLE.

Serialv No. 503,916.

ent instance, equipped with a suitably disposedl seat 119, whereby a person positioned: on the seat', withy his feet bearing on the footrests, can readily and forcibly rock the-element onv its aXis. Between the rear-- ward port-ions of the rocker members 17 is pivoted, as at 20a propelling element comprising preferably ay sector 21' of an eccentrica-ily mounted wheel which has capacity for oscillation during the actuation of the rocker element, so that the periphery of the sector can` be successively engaged with and' disengaged from the surface upon which the wheels 12 and 14 of'I the vehicle are supported. Such periphery is described from a center, as at 22, slightly rearward of and below the aXis 20, and the conformationl of the sector body is such-that if the rocker element be tilted in a forward direction the sector willbe raised from contact with the underlying surface and thus be permitted to gravitate freely forward to the position indicated in Fig; 2. A suitably disposed stop 23^in and between the members 17 co-acts with the sector to limit the forward' movement of the latter. If, now', the body be rocked in-I a rearward direction the peripheral portion of the descendingsector, being of gradually decreasing radii from itsV axis, will` progressively contact with theY underlying'surface and thus under the influence of the load be caused to roll upwardly and rearwardly abouti its axis, thereby positively pushing the vehicle forwardfuntil the upper rearward portion 2li' of the sector'abutsagainst the top 18 oflhe'rocker element, as seen in" Fig. 1. Hence', by alternately rocking the said elementrearwardly anch forwardly -o-n its axis 11, forward progress will beimparted to the vehicle, the speed thereof being governed by the rapidity of oscillation-of the rocker element. From the foregoingitwill be noted that the eccentric aXisof the sector is .so located that vthe greatest radiusfof the' sector is below and in approximate ver-tical alignment with the 'said' axis whenthe' adjacent' end ofthe loadbearing'element is in its uppermost" position.

Preferably, the forward peripheral portion off the sector is equipped with a wheel 25 which bears upon the underlying surface of' travclwhen thesector in the rearward position illustrated in l*"ig.1; andv preferably, also, a spring 26 is interposed between the forward portion of the said element and CFI the vehicle frame so as to serve as a cushion during the oscillation of the rocker element. The wheels 12, 14 and 25- normally rest on the surface of travel, and the vehicle may, therefore, if desired be drawn or impelled without actuating the roc-ker element.

In Figs. 5 and 6 I have shown a modification of my invention wherein two similar wheel sectors 2l are eccentrically mounted adjacent the respective ends of the rocker element, so that, during the oscillations of such element, the said sectors will act in alternation upon the bearing surface in a manner to effect the progress of the vehicle.

In Figs. 7 to 10, inclusive, I have illustrated another modification wherein, in lieu of the pair of eccentrically mounted gravity .controlled wheel sectors, a pair of wheels 210, 210 are eccentrically mounted at the re spective ends of the rocker element, and are operatively connected by suitable motion transmitting devices in such a manner that vduring the forci'ble oscillation of the said element ythe wheels are caused to revolve concurrently about their ececntric axes and thus propel the vehicle. As illustrated, the wheels 210 are eccentrically mounted on axles 20 at the respective ends of the rocker element, said axles being projected at one end and provided with cranks Q6 which are coupled by av link 27, whereby when the rocker element is oscillated the. wheels are rotated and the motion is transmitted from one to the other'. The successive operations of the eccentrically mounted wheels to effeet the propulsion of the vehicle are illus-` trated in Figs. 7 and 9, inclusive.

It is to be understod that my invention is not limited to the particular details of construction herein shown and described, as the mechanism may be variously modified within the principle of my invention and the scope of the appended claims.

I claiml.. In a toy vehicle, a traveling supporting structure, a load-bearing element mounted intermediate its ends for rocking motion on ahorizontal axis on said structure, and propelling means comprising a rotary member having a curved peripheral portion and eccentrically mounted on said element on agi axis laterally of the first-named axis, the greatest radius of said rotary member being below and in approximate vertical alignment with the axis of said member when the adjacent end of the load-bearing element is in its uppermost position, whereby the act of rocking said element alter nately shifting the load thereon from one side to the other of the first named axis causes the progressive propulsive engagement of the said peripheral portion with the surface of tra-vel.

2. In a toy vehicle, a traveling support, ing structure, a load-bearing element mounted intermediate its ends for rocking motion on a horizontal axis on saidstructure, a propelling sector eccentrically mounted for `independent oscillation on said load bearing element on an axis laterally of first-named axis, and having its greatest radius, when the curved periphery of the sector is raised above the surface of travel, positioned below and in vertical alignment with the axis of oscillation of the sector, whereby7 the act of rocking said element by alternately shifting` the load thereon from one side to the other of the axis depresses the sector and causes it to engage the surface Iof travel with a turning effort and then lifts the sector and `permits it to return toits previous position by gravity.

3. In a toy vehicle, a supporting frame having spaced apart forward and rearward wheels, a load-bearing element mounted for rocking motion on an axis adjacent the rearward wheels, and a pivoted propelling element eccentrically mounted on said loadbearing element and operable thereby through contact with the surface of travell to impart forward motion to the vehicle,

the greatest radius of `said propelling element being below and in approximate ver-v tical alinemcnt with its axis when the adjacent end of the lad-bearing element is in its uppermost position.

4. In a toy vehicle, a supporting frame having spaced apart forward and rearward wheels, a load-bearing element mounted for K rocking motion on an axis adjacent the rearward wheels, and a pivoted'propelling member mounted on said loadbearingelement and operable to engage the surface of travel and impart forward motion to the vehicle during the rearward rocking of the load-bearing element, the greatest radius of said propelling member being below and in approximate vertical alinement with the axis of said member when the adjacent end of the load-bearing element is in its uppermost position, and the said member being so constructed as to swing forward by gravity during the forward rocking of the loadbearing element. v

In a toy vehicle, a supporting frame having spaced apart forward and rearward wheels, a load-bearing element mounted for rocking motion on an axis adjacent the rearward wheels, a propelling sector eccentrically mounted on said load-bearing element and operable thereby to engage thel surface of travel and impart forwardv motion to the vehicle during` the rearward rocking of the load-'bearing element, the greatest radius of said sector being below and in approximate vertical alinement with the axis of thesector when the adjacent end of the load-bearing element is in its uppermost posit-ion, and the said sector being so constructed as to swing forward by gravity during the forward rocking of the load-bearing element.

In a toy vehicle, a frame having a forward steering wheel and rearward supporting wheels, a loadebearing element mounted for rocking motion on an axis adjacent the rearward wheels, a propelling sector eccentrically mounted on said load-'bearing element and o-perable thereby to engage the surface of travel and impart motion to the vehicle during the rearward rocking of the load-bearing element, the said sector being so constructed as to clear the ground and swing forward by gravity during the forward rocking of the load-'bearing element,

and a wheel on said sectorl arranged to bear on the surface of travel when the loadbearing element is in rearwardly rocked position.

7. In a toy vehicle7 a supporting frame having spaced-apart forward and rearward wheels, a load-bearing element mounted intermediate its ends for rocking motion on an axis adjacent the rearward wheels, and the two propelling sectors eccentrically mounted for independent oscillation on axes adjacent the respective ends of the loadbearing element, each of said sectors having its greatest radius, when the curved periphery of the sector is raised above the surface ol travel, positioned below and in vertical alignment with the axis of oscillation of the sector, whereby the act of rocking said element by shifting the load thereon from one end to the other, causes the seetors to act in alternation upon the surface of travel in a manner to propel the vehicle.

Signed at New York in the county and State of New York this 23d day of September 1921.

BENJANIIN M. LUPTON, JR. 

